Widow’s Web by Jennifer Estep
Whether I wanted it to or not.
“And what can you tell me about Dubois?” Bria asked Kincaid.
“Salina is a cold, calculating bitch who likes to use her water magic to kill people,” he snarled. “That’s all you really need to know about her, Detective.”
Bria’s eyes narrowed at his tone. “Oh, I think I know that about her already, Mr. Kincaid. Since I was the one who got called out to come and see what was left of Katarina Arkadi, and now your friend here.”
Owen sucked in a breath. “Katarina’s dead?”
Kincaid stared at him. “You hadn’t heard?”
Owen’s mouth flattened out. “I don’t exactly run in the same circles as you do anymore, Phillip. Or should I say the same gutters?”
Kincaid jerked his head at me and smirked again. “Oh, your legitimate business interests—the mining, the timber, the metal manufacturing—they may be on the up-and-up, but you could have fooled me when it comes to your personal life, given the company you’re keeping these days. Then again, you always did like them a little dangerous, didn’t you?”
Owen stiffened, but he didn’t respond to the other man’s taunt.
Bria glanced at the two men, then at me. I shrugged my shoulders, indicating to her I didn’t know what they were talking about either.
“Why do you think Dubois killed Katarina Arkadi?” Bria asked Kincaid. “Why do you think she wants to kill you?”
His mouth twisted. “You’ll have to ask her that. I never did understand what Salina was thinking. Or some other people, for that matter.”
Owen glared at Kincaid, but he still didn’t respond to the mocking tone in the casino boss’s voice.
Bria looked back and forth between the two of them once more. Then she sighed and shook her head, as if she knew that this night was just getting started.
11
Bria had us run through the story again and asked Kincaid several more questions, but he claimed not to know anything useful, like why Salina had killed Arkadi, who she might go after next, or what else she might be up to. He didn’t mention that he thought Salina wanted to murder him so she could take over his business interests. I supposed Kincaid wasn’t any more comfortable sharing information with the po-po than I was.
Despite his lack of answers, Bria did the good-cop thing and offered the casino boss police protection, which he declined. Couldn’t blame him for that. Most of the cops would have sold him out in a second to his enemies, if the payday were big enough.
Finally, Bria declared that she was done with Kincaid and headed over to see if the coroner was finished examining Antonio’s body yet.
Owen pulled his keys out of his pocket and handed them to his sister. “Eva, go on down to the car. You too, Violet.”
“Packed up,” Sophia murmured, pointing to the supplies she’d managed to salvage.
I nodded at the dwarf. “Thank you.”
Eva shot Kincaid a sympathetic look, but for once she didn’t argue with her brother. The girls grabbed a few of the lighter supply boxes, while Sophia carried the heavier ones, and the three of them walked down the gangplank and out of sight. Owen turned to me, but I beat him to the punch.
“Go on ahead and look after the girls,” I said. “I want to talk to Kincaid for a minute.”
Owen stared at the other man, then at me. “Gin, I can explain all of this. It’s not what it seems like. Whatever he’s told you, it’s a lie. He hates Salina. He’s had it in for her for years. Even if she really did try to kill Phillip tonight, well, it was no less than he deserved after what he did to her.”
“And Antonio?” I asked in a soft voice. “Did he deserve what Salina did to him too?”
Maybe me questioning a murder was strange, given all the people I’d killed myself. But when I went after someone, I put him down as quickly as possible. No drawing things out for my own amusement. No toying with my targets. No torture. But Salina had done all those things tonight. I wondered how long she would have played her choking game with Kincaid if I hadn’t frozen her water noose. I was willing to bet she would have made his death throes last as long as she could.
Owen looked over at the dead giant. The coroner had removed the tablecloth and was trying to figure out some way to lift Antonio’s slack, floppy remains into a black body bag without spilling him everywhere. Owen’s jaw clenched, and he didn’t say anything. He didn’t have an answer for that one.
“Just be careful, okay?” he said. “Kincaid fooled me for years, and it looks like he still has Eva fooled.”
I nodded. “Don’t worry. I can handle myself.”
Owen didn’t like it, but he headed across the deck and trudged down the gangplank. That left me and Kincaid standing by ourselves while the cops milled around Antonio’s body.
“Well, that was just as unpleasant as I thought it would be,” Kincaid murmured. “And here I am without my drink to console me.”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I leaned back against the railing, more than willing to wait him out. Ten seconds passed as we looked at each other, then twenty . . . thirty . . . forty-five . . .
Kincaid had more patience than I’d imagined, because he made it to the ninety-second mark before he opened his mouth again. “So what was it you wanted to speak to me about?”
I cocked my head to the side. “You are one clever bastard, aren’t you, Philly?”
A humorless smile lifted his lips. “I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re talking about.”
I held my hands out. “I’m talking about this, tonight, and this little spectacle you engineered.”
“Please,” Kincaid sneered. “Enlighten me once again. Because I am not in the business of engineering spectacles of any sort.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down. “Here are the facts. Four days ago, Katarina Arkadi was murdered, most likely by your mysterious water elemental friend, Salina Dubois, for whatever reason. She didn’t like Katarina, she knew the two of you had business dealings together, whatever. The next day—the very next fucking day—you stroll into the Pork Pit and offer me an obscene amount of money to cater an event on the Delta Queen. Strange enough, but then I find out that instead of hosting some swanky society gala, you’ve actually let college students take over your casino. Not only that, but I find you looking oh so cozy with Eva.”
“So what?” Kincaid scoffed.
“So, this whole time, I thought you were running some scheme, plotting some way to kill me and dump my body in the river. Hell, I thought you might even be in cahoots with Jonah McAllister. Whatever your motives, taking out the Spider would go a long way toward cementing your position as the new king of the Ashland underworld.”
Kincaid shrugged, modestly agreeing with me.
“But that’s not it at all. You don’t care one damn thing about killing me. After I saved your ass, I thought maybe you wanted me here in case Salina made a move against you, as sort of a backup bodyguard just on the chance she managed to slip past your giants. Although, if that was true, you were taking a big risk, counting on me to save your miserable hide when we’ve never said so much as how do you do to each other. But in a way, that was true. You wanted me here tonight to protect someone, but it wasn’t you—it was Eva.”
I’d give Kincaid this—he had a hell of a poker face. The only thing that gave him away was a faint narrowing of his eyes. If I hadn’t been watching for it, I would have missed it altogether. But I knew I’d struck a nerve, and I decided to press my advantage.
“Now, Eva’s a beautiful girl, and I’m sure you enjoy smooth-talking the ladies as much as the next guy. But for some reason I don’t fathom, you actually seem to care about Eva—quite deeply, from the way you were comforting her. You should have kept your distance, Philly. You gave yourself away, holding her like you did.”
He opened his mouth to deny it or perhaps make some snide quip, but I cut him off.
“Don’t play games with me, Kincaid. Eva and Owen are my family, and th
Kincaid looked at me, then let out a harsh, bitter laugh. “Well, apparently I’m not as clever as I thought I was.”
“No,” I said in a quiet voice. “No one ever is.”
By this point, the coroner had managed to scoop Antonio’s remains into the body bag. We watched while he zipped it up and got his assistant to help him load it onto a gurney, which the assistant pushed across the deck. Kincaid winced as the wheels rattled over the wood. I wondered if he was thinking that it could have just as easily been him inside that body bag tonight.
“Look,” he finally said. “Owen’s right about one thing. Salina and I never liked each other, but I’m not the villain he thinks I am. It was Salina—it was always Salina. She could twist Owen around her finger like nobody else ever could, not even Eva. So if I were you, Gin, I’d worry less about me and more about her. Because now that she’s back in Ashland, it’s only a matter of time before she sets her sights on your boy again. And believe me when I tell you that Salina Dubois will do whatever she has to in order to get what she wants.”
His ominous warning delivered, the casino boss stalked over to one of his giants and started speaking to the other man in a low voice. A few feet away, Bria was talking with the coroner, while Xavier was taking statements from some of the giants who’d been on deck when Antonio was wrung out like a wet dishrag. I glanced over the railing. Down below in the parking lot, Violet was helping Sophia put the last of the supplies from the Pork Pit into the dwarf’s convertible, while Owen and Eva stood off to one side, arguing.
I looked at them all in turn, thinking. Then I pulled out my cell phone and called Finn again. He must have been waiting by the phone, because he picked up after the first ring.
“Gin? What’s happening? What’s going on?” Finn asked. “Have you killed Kincaid yet?”
“Sadly, no.”
“Why not?”
I let out a breath. “Because as shocking as this sounds, he’s actually the victim tonight—and has some strange connection to Owen and Eva. Right now, I’m not sure if I know the bad guy from the worse guy.”
“Who could be worse than Kincaid?” Finn asked.
“Salina Dubois,” I said. “I want you to get your hands on everything you can about her. Right now. Then meet me at Fletcher’s house. And you might want to put a pot of coffee on when you get there. It’s going to be a long night.”
There was nothing else for me to do there, so I said my good-byes to Bria and Xavier. My sister promised to call or drop by my house if she had any news, but I knew she’d be busy well into the night tracking down Salina and seeing what she had to say for herself. Even then, at this point, it was Salina’s word against Kincaid’s, which meant there was nothing Bria could do anyway—to either one of them. Sure, I’d seen what had happened to Antonio and Kincaid, but assassins didn’t exactly make the best witnesses in a court of law.
I walked down the gangplank, across the boardwalk, and into the parking lot. The police cars were still on the scene, their bright lights swiveling around and around in endless loops, but all the students had left. I headed over to where the others stood by Sophia’s convertible.
Owen looked at me. “I’m so sorry you got dragged into the middle of this, Gin. Eva should have known better than to go anywhere near Kincaid, something we will discuss in further detail when we get home.”
“No,” Eva said. “I want to stay at Gin’s house tonight.”
“Eva—” he started.
“Gin’s house is the safest place I know,” she said, her voice trembling just a bit. “I need to feel safe right now, Owen, and I won’t at home. Not when I know Salina’s back in Ashland and that she could show up at the house at any time—that you’d let her into the house at any time.”
Owen opened his mouth to argue.
“It’s okay,” I cut in. “You both know you’re welcome to stay with me anytime. I’d love to have the company.”
I didn’t add that them coming home with me tonight was for the best anyway, since we had a lot to talk about.
“Fine,” Owen muttered. “We’ll stay with Gin tonight. But don’t think this gets you out of the punishment you have coming for going behind my back and talking to Phillip.”
Eva’s eyes narrowed, and the siblings glared at each other. Normally, the two of them got along like gang-busters, but whatever had happened in the past had driven a Kincaid-specific wedge between them, one that was still there, even now, all these years later.
Sophia offered to take Violet home. Violet and Eva hugged and exchanged a few whispers before Violet got into Sophia’s car, and the two of them left. I wasn’t surprised when Eva immediately pivoted in her flip-flops, marched over to Finn’s Escalade, threw open the door, and got into the passenger’s seat without another word—or a single glance at her brother. I looked at Owen, who just shrugged, letting me know it was fine.
“I’ll follow you over there,” he said, then pulled me into his arms. “I’m just glad you’re safe, Gin.”
My arms tightened around him, and I breathed in deep, letting his rich scent, the one that always made me think of metal, fill my nose. For a moment, I let myself forget about everything that had happened tonight and just concentrated on Owen—on the feel of his hands on my back, his warm body next to mine, his lips resting against my temple.
Then I exhaled and put all those soft emotions away, because the night wasn’t over yet, and I still hadn’t gotten the answers to any of my questions—answers that I needed now more than ever.
I drew back and looked at him. “I’ll see you at Fletcher’s. Don’t worry. We’ll straighten everything out.”
Owen nodded and headed across the parking lot to his car. I rounded the Escalade and opened the driver’s door. But before I got inside, I looked up.
Phillip Kincaid was leaning over the railing of the Delta Queen. The bright globes on the decks above him made his slicked back hair gleam like gold, even as the lights cast his features in darkness and caused his long, ominous shadow to stretch out onto the boardwalk below. No doubt he’d seen the whole thing—Owen and Eva arguing, Eva getting into my car, Owen leaving. I wondered what the casino boss thought of all that, if he’d been pleased Eva had taken his side over her brother’s, if he even knew why she’d done such a thing in the first place.
Kincaid raised his hand to his forehead and gave me a mock salute before stepping away from the railing and disappearing from sight. Once again, I wondered what game he was playing—and why I had a feeling he wasn’t quite the monster Owen said he was.
12
Eva didn’t say a word in the twenty minutes it took for me to drive across town. Instead, she stared out the window and brooded. I didn’t try to question her. There would be plenty of time for that at home.
I turned off the road and steered the Escalade up the rough gravel driveway, leaning into the familiar lumps and bumps as the SUV rocked from side to side. In my rearview mirror, the headlights on Owen’s car bounced up and down as he did the same thing. Eventually, both vehicles chugged to the top of the ridge, and Fletcher’s place came into view.
The old man had left me his ramshackle house, and the sight of it never failed to lift my spirits, even after a night like this one. A light burned on the front porch, illuminating the white clapboard, brown brick, and gray stone that joined together at crazy angles to form the sprawling structure. The house had passed through a lot of hands over the years, and each of the folks who’d lived here before had added on a room or two onto the structure; hence the mishmash of materials and styles.
The house looked quite a bit worse for wear these days, thanks to all the bullet holes that peppered the front and sides like tiny black eyes. Back in the winter, bounty hunters hot on the trail of the Spider had laid siege to the house. I was still digging bul
Still, that didn’t mean someone couldn’t be lurking around, waiting to make a run at me. Most of the fools who came after the Spider limited their murderous attempts to the Pork Pit, but a few of the braver ones had sought me out here at home. I supposed I could have moved to some anonymous apartment where folks would have a harder time finding me, but the house was one of the last pieces of Fletcher that I had left, and I’d be damned if anyone was going to make me leave it behind.
“Stay in the car for a minute,” I told Eva as I opened the door and got out.
I motioned for Owen to sit tight in his vehicle as well, then walked around the SUV, placing myself between it and the house. My eyes swept over the landscape, from the black maw of the woods on my left to the flat yard that stretched out to my right before abruptly falling away in a series of jagged cliffs.
I didn’t see any dark figures or shadows that weren’t supposed to be there, although I did spot Finn’s silver Aston Martin parked on the far side of the house, which meant he was inside already. Good. Hopefully by now Finn had information on Salina that would shed some light on who she was—and why Owen and Eva were mixed up with her and Kincaid.
As a final precaution, I reached out with my Stone magic, listening to the gravel underfoot in the driveway, the rocks scattered at the edge of the woods, and the brick, granite, and concrete that made up the house. But the stones only whispered back of the cars rolling over them, the animals scurrying to and fro in the underbrush, and the spring heat that was building bit by bit and would soon bake them once more.
Satisfied we were safe, I gestured to the others that it was okay for them to get out of the cars. I led Eva and Owen over to the front door, which was made out of solid black granite. The door was strong enough by itself, but thick veins of silverstone also swirled through the stone, adding another layer of protection. No matter how much water magic Salina had, she’d have a tough time using it to blast through the door or pry apart the silverstone bars that covered the windows.